Cuban scientists this Tuesday described the study published hours earlier by the University of Pennsylvania (Penn), which reveals an alleged loss of brain white matter in U.S. diplomats affected by mysterious health problems in Havana, as not very rigorous and inconclusive.
“The authors of the paper themselves acknowledge that the study is inconclusive and they have no explanation for their findings,” explained the director of the Neurosciences Center of Cuba, Mitchell Valdés, at a press conference.
The doctor, who belongs to a group of scientists who have been studying these incidents since they were first reported in February 2017, acknowledged that it is not usual to comment so quickly on a scientific publication, but they have done so “due to its media impact” and to “prevent misinterpretations.”
Expertos cubanos afirman que nuevo artículo de la revista JAMA no demuestra la ocurrencia de daños cerebrales en #Cuba. La única forma de esclarecer el estado de salud de los afectados es mediante la discusión científica transparente y el intercambio de información. pic.twitter.com/YTTRTsrlUM
— Cancillería de Cuba (@CubaMINREX) July 23, 2019
Up to 26 officials and diplomats from the United States and 14 from Canada stationed in Havana have presented since early 2017 symptoms such as brain injuries, dizziness, headaches and lack of ability to concentrate for reasons that are still unknown.
Both embassies reduced their staff to a minimum for this reason and, in the case of the United States, some of their authorities described the incidents as acoustic or sonic “attacks,” which has caused strong bilateral diplomatic tensions.
The study by the University of Pennsylvania published this Tuesday concludes that the brains of those affected have less white matter and less connectivity in the areas of vision and hearing compared to those of healthy people, although they don’t know if this is related to cited symptoms or with their stay in Cuba.
The Cuban scientists also argued in their reply that the changes described by the Penn study are small, vague and do not correspond to a coherent picture, an opinion that coincides with the first impressions of other neuroimaging experts from several countries.
In addition, they argued that variations in white matter in the samples may present measurement errors or that the psychological state of the patients has had an influence, so it concludes that it is not possible to reach clear and final conclusions from the aforementioned study.
Meanwhile, the deputy director for the United States of the Cuban Foreign Ministry, Johana Tablada, took the opportunity to criticize the decisions taken by the United States in the last two years due to the health incidents, such as closing consular services, expelling Cuban diplomats or issuing alerts on travel to Cuba for alleged dangerousness.
“Of what there is evidence is that Cuba is a safe country for diplomats from the United States and from any country,” said Tablada.
.@JohanaTablada: #Cuba solicita al gob. de #EstadosUnidos que ponga fin a la manipulación y utilización de los incidentes de salud reportados como pretexto para imponer nuevas medidas cada vez más leoninas de agresión contra la integridad de nuestro país, su economía y su pueblo. pic.twitter.com/7NBL4ZOUOH
— Cancillería de Cuba (@CubaMINREX) July 23, 2019
